the Fourth Week of Advent
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Contemporary English Version
Zephaniah 2
Turn to the Lord
1 You disgraceful nation,
gather around,
2 before it's too late.
The Lord has set a time
when his fierce anger
will strike like a storm
and sweep you away.
3 If you humbly obey the Lord,
then come and worship him.
If you do right and are humble,
perhaps you will be safe
on that day
when the Lord
turns loose his anger.
Judgment on Philistia
4 Gaza and Ashkelon
will be deserted
and left in ruins.
Ashdod will be emptied
in broad daylight,
and Ekron[a] uprooted.
5 To you people of Philistia[b]
who live along the coast,
the Lord has this to say:
"I am now your enemy,
and I'll wipe you out!"
6 Your seacoast will be changed
into pastureland
and sheep pens.[c]
7 The Lord God hasn't forgotten
those survivors in Judah,
and he will help them—
his people will take your land
to use for pasture.
And when evening comes,
they will rest
in houses at Ashkelon.[d]
Judgment on Moab and Ammon
8 The Lord All-Powerful,
the God of Israel, said:
I've heard Moab and Ammon
insult my people
and threaten their nation.[e]
9 And so, I swear by my very life
that Moab and Ammon will end up
like Sodom and Gomorrah—
covered with thornbushes
and salt pits forever.
Then my people who survive
will take their land.
10 This is how Moab and Ammon
will at last be repaid
for their pride—
and for sneering at the nation
that belongs to me,
the Lord All-Powerful.
11 I will fiercely attack.
Then every god on this earth
will shrink to nothing,
and everyone of every nation
will bow down to me,
right where they are.
Judgment on Ethiopia
12 People of Ethiopia,[f]
the sword of the Lord
will slaughter you!
Judgment on Assyria
13 The Lord will reach to the north
to crush Assyria
and overthrow Nineveh.[g]
14 Herds of wild animals
will live in its rubble;
all kinds of desert owls
will perch on its stones
and hoot in the windows.
Noisy ravens will be heard
inside its buildings,
stripped bare of cedar.[h]
15 This is the glorious city
that felt secure and said,
"I am the only one!"
Now it's merely ruins,
a home for wild animals.
Every passerby simply sneers
and makes vulgar signs.
